Ben Bartlett – Caduga
Written by Gaz E
Tuesday, 15 September 2009 12:50
Rattlesnake Remedy caused a real stir when they released debut album ‘Magic Man’ and undertook a seemingly unending tour of every corner of this fair isle. Guitarist Ben Bartlett explains, in this exclusive interview for Über Röck, how internal band strife resulted in the decision to reinvent themselves as Caduga…..
It must have been a great feeling to get the ‘Magic Man’ album released back in 2006?
Indeed – it was good to get all those tracks off our chests…they documented a specific time in our lives; we practically lived in this horrible lock-up for a couple years gettin’ the tunes together. The pictures on the CD sleeve are all genuine photos of the place – it was right next to the town centre too so it’d get pretty messy at weekends!
You must have all been really pleased with how well the album was generally received?
Yeah, most of the album and live reviews were very complimentary. I mean, it wasn’t exactly
groundbreaking stuff but I think the fact it was basically a live album recorded in a studio helped capture a lot of the raw energy. That’s what makes good music for me…when you can hear the emotion.
You supported the album’s release with a seemingly unending tour schedule, including some pretty decent support slots…
Relentless yeah, we were just looking through some home videos the other day – the memories are a blur but apparently we had a lot of fun! You learn a lot being on the road too…there wasn’t a single gig we walked away from without a nugget of wisdom, even if that nugget is to never play there again.. or to double bag.. but seriously, I learned so much from listening to other players.
You appeared at dates with Ted Nugent, Michael Schenker and Yngwie J. Malmsteen – there must have been some memorable moments from sharing stages with this trio of trainwrecks?!?
Well….Ted Nugent – Legend! We have a duck’s head signed by Ted mounted inside our tourbus! Says it all. Schenker was interesting…..we worked with him when he was having a few problems and yeah, it got pretty messy, but he’s a good egg and I hear he’s back on top form now. As for Malmsteen – the man’s ego is in proportion with the size of his gut.
I saw you guys play at Wildside in Nottingham, with Vain and Tigertailz, where a drunken version of myself proceeded to take down his trousers to show vocalist Lee an Aston Villa tattoo – have you had many examples of gentlemen removing undergarments in the presence of 80’s cock rockers?
Bravo sir.. it’s usually Lee that ends up in his pants though!
What would you say was the highlight of your time as Rattlesnake Remedy?
It’s all about the festivals for me; Bulldog Bash three years in a row, Chepstow Castle too.. but really every night’s a highlight when you can get a good mix on stage and step into the zone.
When would you say that things started to unwind for the band, resulting in the fresh start and name change?
Well, after 2007 the gigs died down and we started working more on the new stuff. We’d got rid of the lock-up when the album was released, so we turned one of the rooms in my flat into a studio and this is were we worked on ‘Kidnap The Sun’, but without the freedom of the open road we were suddenly faced with…..ourselves.
During that time there was a lot of conflict. Matt even left the band at one point, then there was the divide of the stoners and the drinkers – one by one we all fell out with each other….
…And what is the significance of the name ‘Caduga’?
The name change, in my opinion, is what saved us as a band. It reached a point where we had a big face off and decided the best way to move forward was to create a blank canvas…… Caduga represents this.
Will the change of name also signal a change of musical direction?
Inevitably this whole process affected the music, each of us being creative from different perspectives, but all within the same situation. It’s evolution is all I can say really. There’s no intentional direction, what we made is a reflection of how we felt at the time.
There have been a number of internet whispers claiming a more indie sounding direction….
I think it’s a harder sound to categorise now, but everyone loves a mystery so I shall leave you with our Twitter/Youtube/Myspace blogs to decide for yourselves…….
You are currently hard at work on that new album, ‘Kidnap The Sun’…..
Yup….we have about seventeen tracks for possible inclusion that we’re finishing off right now and are producing the whole thing ourselves. As I said earlier ‘Magic Man’ was essentially a live album but ‘Kidnap The Sun’ will be a lot more about production. A lot of rock neglects this side of the art and I think it’s about time we gave Dre a run for his money!
What are the immediate plans for Caduga?
Right now we’re focusing on the album, hence the lack of gigs. If all goes to plan we should be ready to release towards the end of the year and will be back out on the road touring the UK, Europe and then branching out to the States, Japan etc.
Finally, the ÜBER RÖCK ‘N’ RÖLL TEST!!!! Ten either/or questions designed to show just how cool you are!!!!!
Black Crowes or Black Sabbath?
Both deserve props, they’re like the yin an yang of rock.
Thin Lizzy or Lizzy Borden?
Thin Lizzy fo shizzy.
Alice Cooper or Tommy Cooper?
Both are comedy genius.
Damn Yankees or The Krankies?
The Yankees are slightly less annoying than the Krankies.. slightly.
Twisted Sister or Mr Mister?
By being on every single driving rock album, it’s been pummeled into my head.. Mister gets it.
Bobby Dall or Bobby Davro?
I can’t decide who’s funnier..
Goo Goo Dolls or Kajagoogoo?
Set the mood, dim the lights, a few rose petals scattered around and then stick on Kajagoogoo.. I think not.
Bob Rock or Bob Carolgees?
Rock’s got the skills to pay the bills.
Wednesday 13 or Heaven 17?
Lucky 13.
Joey Tempest or Joey Deacon?
Woah.. I’m gonna pass on this one for fear of alienating anyone with a disability.. or bad taste in music.. whoops 😉
Ben scores 666% on the test and is forever a friend of Über Röck……unless that new album really is indie sounding!!!
Check out Ben’s hilarious Gig From Hell story here and the official Caduga MySpace profile here!!!!! Leave some love and tell ’em we sent you!!!!